Blind Faith

Yesterday President Bush apologized for the lackluster response the government has shown after Katrina. Also, Michael Brown stepped down as the head of FEMA.

I’m not one of those psychos who tries to blame Bush for causing the hurricane, but as Scott McClellan said last week, the buck stops with the president. His apology is a step in the right direction, but unfortunately I think for many Americans, Republicans and Democrats, it was too little too late.

How this will eventually play out I have no idea, but the enormous lapse in public support for our President is scary. And it should be scary, or at the very least bittersweet, for Republicans much more than for Democrats. They’re pretty much controlling all three branches of our government but the public isn’t giving them much love. Sure, there’s a minority of folks who blindly support whatever the Republicans do, but for the most part people aren’t sure anymore.

At the end of the day I can’t help wondering why we couldn’t find a President which doesn’t divide the people like Moses at the Red Sea. I hate that I have to keep saying this, but this isn’t a question of politics, it’s a question of common sense. We all want the best for our country, and as far as I know the best thing for our country is not an infantile ideological war between the political sides. And don’t mistake me; I’m not advocating a government in which no one disagrees. That’s not idyllic, that’s Marxist, and as important as I think ole’ Karl and Friedrich were in defining class struggles, I don’t want to live in a communist state.

And no, I don’t think John Kerry was a good candidate, either. He sucked just as bad as Bush. He was like Lurch, but a Lurch without the public speaking ability.

Politics in this country have turned into a pissing contest. Those jackasses in the government are supposed to be there to represent the people and secure us with enough freedom to prosper in society. They’re not there to win an ideological battle, or to steal the lunch money of the other party.

Here’s a good rule of thumb for determining whether or not you’re a political zombie: If you can’t immediately shout out three things your favorite representative screwed up during his time in office, you’ve been bullshitted somehow. The only people you should follow blindly and without question are 1) Folks who can rise from the dead. 2) Anyone who can cause floods, locusts, plagues, or throws thunderbolts. 3) Anyone who places a gun to your head. 4) Pat Robertson.

Number three on that list is a little bit debatable, and number four is there to see if you’re paying attention.

On a side note: I find it interesting that we are now referring to Katrina in a familiar way. We don’t say “Hurricane Katrina” very much anymore. We talk about it as if the Hurricane were an actual person. It’s as if she’s an alcoholic aunt that you have to keep apologizing for. She got drunk, stole the car from the drive-way, and side-swiped New Orleans.